Brewerytown is one of the neighborhoods still trying to get in on the last decade’s trend of latching on to Center City.
As Girard Coalition Executive Director Angel Coleman, one of the area’s lead development advocates, says, “We would like to see in 10 or 15 years, Girard Avenue become the northern boundary of Center City.”
Brewerytown — known to most as the home of future NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison and his recent turmoil with his businesses there — was hailed at the height of the housing boom in 2007 as a next great place for development. Some believed housing prices could skyrocket 600 percent by 2020, Coleman said.
While the economic crash has stunted those types of predictions a bit, development along Girard Avenue continues, and this year, the western stretch of the 4.5-mile boulevard, between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, will see at least three high-profile tenants move in. This includes a supermarket at 31st Street and Girard Avenue.
A Fairmount coffee shop owner’s plan to open a new location at 28th and Girard, called Mugshots, and an interesting bid by Coleman’s organization to entice a Mexican restaurant to the avenue has created a buzz that Brewerytown remains a burgeoning spot for new homeowners, in line with Fishtown and the Graduate Hospital section.
“A couple years ago, we had this realization that with the market taking the downturn, we could step in in a more comprehensive manner,” says Jacob Roller of MM Partners, which has rehabbed numerous homes in Brewerytown since 2001, and has bought six properties recently along Girard Avenue. “We need to look at the retail. Our working theory is that the retail has to be there for the residential to be a true success.”
